Politics for the day after tomorrow: The logic of apocalypse in global climate politics

• Published in: Security dialogue 2012-08, Vol.43 (4), p.323-344
• Main Authors: Methmann, Chris, Rothe, Delf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accidents; Apocalypse; Case studies; Christians; Climate; Climate Change; Climate change adaptation; Climate change policy; Copenhagen School; Crisis management; Critical theory; Disasters; Discourse analysis; Environment; Environment and politics; Existentialism; Global warming; Governability; Governmental process; Hegemony; Human security; International cooperation; International politics; International security; Laclau, Ernesto; Languages; Legitimation; Logic; Machinery; Management; Mouffe, Chantal; Political action; Political discourse; Political security; Politics; Risk; Risk management; Securitization; Security; Technocracy
• ISSN: 0967-0106; 1460-3640
• DOI: 10.1177/0967010612450746

The recent global climate change discourse is a prominent example of a securitization of environmental issues. While the problem is often framed in the language of existentialism, crisis or even apocalypse, climate discourses rarely result in exceptional or extraordinary measures, but rather put forth a governmental scheme of piecemeal and technocratic solutions often associated with risk management. This article argues that this seeming paradox is no accident but follows from a politics of apocalypse that combines two logics – those of security and risk – which in critical security studies are often treated as two different animals. Drawing on the hegemony theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, however, this article shows that the two are inherently connected. In the same way as the Christian pastorate could not do without apocalyptic imageries, today's micro-politics of risk depends on a series of macro-securitizations that enable and legitimize the governmental machinery. This claim is backed up by an inquiry into current global discourses of global climate change regarding mitigation, adaptation and security implications. Although these discourses are often framed through the use of apocalyptic images, they rarely result in exceptional or extraordinary measures, but rather advance a governmental scheme of risk management. Tracing the relationship between security and risk in these discourses, we use the case of climate change to highlight the relevance of our theoretical argument.